Pages

Friday, November 30, 2012

Welcome to this
month’s edition of WinterHaven SnowPeak where we give you a recap of our
events, a little sneak peak of what’s to come, and what we’re most excited
about.

Last month, we
announced our new blog Waves of Fiction that features our adult
contemporary, romance, urban fantasy and paranormal reviews. It’s been an
exciting month, and the blog has grown so quickly! So thank you to our 18 and
over crowd who visited us at our Summer beach house. We will be hosting a
follower appreciation giveaway soon, so if you’re 18 and over and enjoy the
genres listed above be sure to visit our beachside address to join the fun. You
can find us HERE.

So on to
December…

Upcoming Blog Tours &
Hops

This month, we’ll
be touring with AToMR as part of the Betwixt Blog
Tour, so stay tuned for our review on this book slated for December
3rd. In addition, WinterHaven Books will participating in a New
Year’s Eve Blog Hop hosted by I Am A Reader Not A Writer on
December 31st, so be sure to visit us on New Year’s Eve for a chance
to win a book surprise. As you can see, our December schedule is sparse for
tours and hops because we’ll be focusing on our first big event. However, we
have some open dates for the end of January and throughout February. If you’re
scheduling a blog tour and would like us to participate, email us at
winterhavenbooks(at)gmail(dot)com with the details, so we can see if a team
member can host a stop.

WinterHaven Sleigh
Tour

Our much
anticipated WinterHaven Sleigh Tour is departing from the
North Pole today! WinterHaven and the Sleigh Tour Bloggers are ready to host
daily stops throughout the month, so be sure to join the snow filled fun!! You
can visit our WinterHaven Sleigh Tour page for more details
and a glimpse of the blogs that are sleighing with us. We are hosting fun
give-aways, winter book wishes, holiday/winter book spotlights, reviews and more
so don’t miss out! AND, WinterHaven is hosting a chance to win a holiday gift
basket for bloggers that participate in all three events. Be sure to jump on the
sleigh and join us for the Holiday Festivities!

For bloggers that
are participating in this event, you should have received an email from us with
final details and updated giveaway information. If you didn’t receive that,
please let us know by emailing us at winterhavenbooks(at)gmail(dot)com.
Thanks!

Can you tell we’re in the holiday spirit?! Well we hope
you join us throughout the month of December because we have tons of snowflakes
to share! XD

Cupid Cloud Hop
Tour

Seeing how much fun
we’ve been having with blog tours and hops, WinterHaven is planning a
Cupid Cloud Hop in February. Bloggers will be receiving an email
soon with more details. Bloggers, if you’d like to be included in our email
distribution list, email us at winterhavenbooks(at)gmail(dot)com with the
Subject Line “Add Me To Your List!!” and we’ll be sure to keep you
informed with our Haven Happenings.

Thank you to our
followers for helping us grow this blog. We hope you’re having a great time
stopping by and joining in on the fun! December is going to be a fantastic month
with our sleigh tour, giveaways, WOWs, STSs and much more, so make sure to visit
us at WinterHaven throughout the month.

Also, before you
go, we wanted to make sure you’ve entered for a chance to win one of two amazing
book bundles that is part of our YA in the Sun. The giveaway is
international for all WinterHaven followers, and it’s ending soon, so don’t miss
out.

With that, we’ll
leave you with a little "hold music" as you wait for our blog events.

Lucy Whitley cannot wait to get out of Palm Desert. It’s not a place for a frizzy-haired science nerd, particularly when her fashion-obsessed older sister Sloane is the head of a clique of pretty girls who rule the school—and practically the whole town.Fortunately, life is about to change forever. Lucy’s dad is getting re-married, and then she can transfer to a boarding school in Connecticut, escaping all the mean girls and the endless whispers about the Whitley family scandal. Everything is going to be perfect—as long as the wedding goes smoothly.

My Thoughts
The Dirt by Lori Culwell was both a quick and light read that I was able to finish in one sitting. It’s filled to the brim with entertaining family drama and sibling rivalry that has you screaming foul play right from the beginning. Readers looking to entertain themselves with a mean-girl-esque type story will find that The Dirt more than fits the bill.

Lucy Whitely has never really found her place in the small town, desert community her wealth family resides in. Where her older sister Sloane is at the top echelon of the elite popular crowd and heads a secret girls society, Lucy is a misfit, honor roll, science dork. In this story, she’s just trying to make it through her father’s wedding with minimal drama before she heads off to a boarding school to re-invent herself. The story kicks into gear when the wedding is crashed by their missing sister of nine years. Scandal breaks out for this rich, media prone family and the wedding is cancelled. As the drama unfolds, their father decides to keep the girls away from the media frenzy until things calms down. During this down time Lucy and her now three sisters try to get to know one another, but hidden agendas, life-long secrets and sister rivalry make it difficult for them to find a connection.

I really feel the author Lori Culwell had a promising premise here, but slightly fell short in delivering the full potential of this story. I wish she would have headed down a different path than the one she chose. Having grown up with two sisters myself, I can never imagine being so mean and vindictive to them, so it was hard for me to connect with any of the cast. I did like Lucy to a certain degree, especially when she finally laid her assumptions to rest and tried to discover the truth about Megan and Sloane. However, she proved to be flighty and not so smart despite what her grades tell you about her. I was starting to like Sloane there for a minute, but to uncover what she was capable of doing to her sisters I just ended up cringing at her actions. OUCH! Frankie’s sporadic appearances, left me wanting to learn more about this sister. And finally, the mother, grandmother as well as would-have-been stepmother all seemed to play filler roles that never really got off the ground.

There was a lot of little events that felt random and shoved into the storyline. But despite the disorganization, I found myself following the story and going along with the flow including its sharp twists and turns. I enjoyed the sporadic emails that were randomly placed in the novel, and I wish the author would have included more of those communication pieces.

Overall, I finished this novel quite quickly because it kept my attention for some reason… possibly the constant drama. And, despite not being able to connect with this unique group of sisters, I found myself entertained by their actions and the lengths they would go to in order to achieve what they wanted.

My name is Beatrice. When I was born, I was blessed with the Sight. I was immediately removed from my parents and enrolled in the Institution. At the age of twelve, I had my first true vision, earning my raven’s wings. And when I turned seventeen, one of my visions came true. Things haven’t been the same since.

The Institution depends on me to keep the City safe from our enemy, the Dreamcatchers, but I’m finding it harder to do while keeping a secret from everyone, including my best friend Gabe. It is a secret that could put us all in danger. A secret that could kill me and everyone close to me.

But the enemy has been coming to me in my dreams, and I think I’m falling in love with him. He says they’re coming. He says they’re angry. And I think I’ve already helped them win.

My Thoughts:
This book was so much fun! Okay well it was gory and very intense but if you have followed my reviews lately you know that is what I am craving at the moment. I have read about vampires, demons, ghosts, and Angels but I have never read about dreamcatchers and seers before. And I want more! Stephanie Thomas has opened my eyes to a whole new world that I am terrified to leave.

Wow what a story! Bea and Gabe are seers along with a few hundred other select few who live in the Institution. Their main role is to relay their visions to the Keeper immediately after they have them. Bea's visions are clearer than anyones at the Institution and when hers start pointing toward an attack from the Dreamcatchers things get very intense. The Dreamcatchers are their enemy since with only a touch they can kill a Seer. This world is so complex that I really don't know how to describe it other than very intricate and brilliantly done. What these kids go through is very heartbreaking and I am beyond scared for what's to come. I know my synopsis isn't very detailed but believe me you want to read this without spoilers.

I loved the characters in this book. They were all really well written and I give Ms.Thomas a lot of credit for not shying away from the hard stuff. Bea has to make several decisions that are not easy and she doesn't disappoint by taking the easy way out. This book was terrifying and I mean like Hunger Games terrifying. I was shocked at the brutality throughout this book but it definitely worked and added a whole new level to the YA genre. It is not for the faint of heart though so beware. The story did lag a little bit in the middle but that ending totally made up for it and I am so ready for the next installment! I have so many questions and I have to know what happened when a certain someone woke up!!

Brilliant debut by a promising new author!
4 Snowflakes

About the Author:

Stephanie Thomas has been writing ever since she could put letters together to form words. When she was a small child, she would present her mother and father with self-made newspapers filled up with make believe stories and pictures. Her love for writing followed her all throughout her schooling, where she entered and won writing contests of all sorts. Stephanie decided to become an English teacher and completed her B.A. at
The Pennsylvania State University. While teaching, she later went on to get her Master’s in writing from The Johns Hopkins University. She completed her very first manuscript during her graduate studies, and by the end of the program, she had completed two more. Stephanie is quick to tell anyone that she’s a born and raised Philadelphian, and her heart will always belong there. She moved to Baltimore with her husband, and they’ve been living there for the last five years with their doggie, Sailor, and their rabbit, Buns (aka “T Sizzle).Find Stephanie:Website / Blog / Twitter / Facebook / The Raven Chronicles Facebook Page /The Raven Chronicles Website

We have 2 very special giveaways to share with you! Both are sponsered by the wonderful Entangled and all you have to do is make sure to fill out both Rafflecopter forms below! Good luck!Here is also a picture of the beautiful neckalse up for grabs!

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases we can't wait to get our hands on.

Here's my selection for this week...

Out of the Easy by Ruta SepetysPublisher: Philomel BooksPublication Date: February 13, 2012

It’s 1950, and as the French Quarter of New Orleans simmers with secrets, seventeen-year-old Josie Moraine is silently stirring a pot of her own. Known among locals as the daughter of a brothel prostitute, Josie wants more out of life than the Big Easy has to offer. She devises a plan get out, but a mysterious death in the Quarter leaves Josie tangled in an investigation that will challenge her allegiance to her mother, her conscience, and Willie Woodley, the brusque madam on Conti Street.

Josie is caught between the dream of an elite college and a clandestine underworld. New Orleans lures her in her quest for truth, dangling temptation at every turn, and escalating to the ultimate test.

With characters as captivating as those in her internationally bestselling novel Between Shades of Gray, Ruta Sepetys skillfully creates a rich story of secrets, lies, and the haunting reminder that decisions can shape our destiny.

I've read hundreds and hundreds of books in my lifetime and only six of them have landed on my pass-me-the-tissues-please list. So as you can see, I'm not a book crier... I'm just not. Short of seeking a medical opinion, it's just not part of my emotional make-up. So it's with a mix of hesitation and much anticipation that I look forward to Ruta Sepetys new book Out of the Easy.Why you wonder? The last time this author and I crossed fictional paths, she made me bawl like a baby with her debut novel Between Shades ofGray. Not to be confused with another greyish book in a whole different genre. I loved Sepetys's writing and I applaud her ability to own her readers' attention and hearts. She's proved to me that she's able to tap into my emotional psyche with such a force that I can't wait to see if she will do that again with her new novel. I have a box of tissues collecting dust. Will she cause me to reach for them? I'm looking forward to finding out.

When sheltered American good girl Allyson "LuLu" Healey first meets laid-back Dutch actor Willem De Ruiter at an underground performance of Twelfth Night in England, there’s an undeniable spark. After just one day together, that spark bursts into a flame, or so it seems to Allyson, until the following morning, when she wakes up after a whirlwind day in Paris to discover that Willem has left. Over the next year, Allyson embarks on a journey to come to terms with the narrow confines of her life, and through Shakespeare, travel, and a quest for her almost-true-love, to break free of those confines.

My Thoughts“We are born in one day. We die in one day. We can change in one day. And we can fall in love in one day. Anything can happen in just one day.” This is a quote from an uncorrected proof.

Just One Day by Gayle Forman is what I would consider a worthy start to what I truly believe will have an epic continuation. This book delivered in all the ways Forman knows how, which is a great premise, a likable cast and a primer for a promising part two. I think the early readers of If I Stay will agree with me when I say we never considered the possibility that Forman would deliver a second installment to her beloved novel. I, for one, was ecstatic to hear she would continue Mia’s story, and when I stumbled upon the final pages of Where She Went, I was left with a feeling of pure bliss and cemented fandom for this author’s stories.

To hear she was coming out with a new novel, Just One Day, had me pulling out my dancing shoes and running in circles in pure excitement. When an author earns your attention and continues to deliver greatness, there seems to be an assumed allegiance that earns them a guaranteed audience. I can comfortably declare that with a handful of authors such as Marchetta, Dessen, Green to name a few, Forman has me at “Hello.”

Just One Day tells us the story of Allyson Healey who is suppose to be enjoying a life changing experience as she travels Europe with her best friend Melanie the summer before they both start college. As the trip progresses, Allyson struggles to find enjoyment in the trip until she comes across a Shakespearian Dutch actor, Willem, who sweeps her off her feet and delivers one of the most memorable days she could wish for. That changing event comes to a devastating halt when she wakes up the following morning to find he’s gone and left no means of contacting him. She returns home and goes on to start college, but she can’t seem to move past the shock of having come so close to happiness to only see it slip through her fingers.

I have to admit I struggled to like Allyson and Willem for a portion of the novel. However, I think that was a bit purposeful on Forman’s part because if she shows all of her cards early on, the possibilities of where the story can go is cut short. I remember feeling the same way about Mia in the second installment of Where She Went, but I have to commend Forman for challenging her readers to keep an open mind, don’t jump to conclusions and consider the possibilities. I recommend that to those who read this novel. Despite what you deduce of these two characters, don’t sell them short because as you peel away the layers of this intricate story, you’ll find a whole new element to the story ready to reveal itself.

In addition, the story somewhat left me craving for more secondary character time. There were a couple of hidden gems I wanted to learn more about including Dee and Wren. I felt like I was just getting to know Dee and his story when he was suddenly placed on the sidelines. The same felt true for Wren, so I’m looking forward to revisiting these two sometime soon.

I appreciated the themes Forman weaved into her novel around self awareness, growth and the pain of losing the possibility of what could have been. Those are topics that seem to always resonate with me, and Forman is great at delivering valuable considerations that shouldn’t be ignored.

Overall, as much as I liked this book to a certain degree, I’m more excited to see where it will lead with the next installment when Willam takes the stage in Just One Year. Good book that her fans are sure to enjoy!

3.5 Snowflakes

WinterHaven Books is happy to host a giveaway for this ARC. We are opening this giveaway Internationally for followers of WinterHaven. Simply fill out the rafflecopter and share a thoughtful comment related to this book, the author or her other novels. Good luck!

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB ofShould Be Reading.Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read• Open to a random page• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Pivot Point by Kasie West

Publisher: Harper Teen

Expected Pub Date: February 12, 2013

My Teasers:

Page 11 & 12

"You get handed an opportunity to flirt with Duke Rivers and you blow him off? All these years of being my friend and you have learned nothing. That was your chance. You couldn've acted like he hurt you and made him walk you to the nurse's office."

"It's hot and delicious combined. In the dictionary it would be listed as a noun and woudn't even have a definition attached, just a picture of Duke Rivers."

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own Teaser Tuesdays post, or share your ‘teasers’ in a comment here if you don’t have a blog Thanks!

Monday, November 26, 2012

We have another exciting diary entry to share with you! If you have been following along then you are going to love this one!!

[September 21]

Dear Diary,

So it turns out some of my fellow students dislike me. I here bear witness to my first public
slapdown.

[Setting: Cafeteria. Our heroine, young hopeful Margaret Adler, is peering through the sneeze
guard at the day’s limp salad offerings. Anna Franko and Chloe Martin appear on either side of
her.]

Anna: I bet she’s pretty pleased with herself.

Chloe: I bet she’s real pleased.

Margaret: Excuse me? Are you talking about me?

Anna: Hilda and Josef pulled her away for center work this afternoon.

Chloe: It’s only because she has that simpleton look. Not because she’s good.

Margaret: They pulled you to the center, too, Anna.

Chloe: Did you hear something?

Anna: Nothing worth worrying about, that’s for sure.

Chloe: Or maybe they pulled her forward because they needed a brunette to stand next to those blonde guys.

Anna: A good thing her hair was up. Have you seen her hair when it’s not in a bun?

Chloe: Hair? That rat’s nest? And have you smelled her? She’s disgusting.

Anna: Clumsy and disgusting. Her turn-outs suck.

And that’s when I’d finished loading up my plate (salad, salad, and more salad, I’m so sick of it) and turned away from the bar. “What’s wrong?” Maddy asked when I sat down. I forced myself to smile. “Nothing!” I said. “Nothing at all.”

It's
one thing to fall head over heels into a puddle of hazelnut coffee, and
quite another to fall for the—gasp—wrong guy. Straight-A junior Julia
may be accident prone, but she's queen of following rules and being
prepared. That's why she keeps a pencil sharpener in her purse and a
pocket Shakespeare in her, well, pocket. And that's also why she's
chosen Mark Bixford, her childhood crush, as her MTB ("meant to be").
But
this spring break, Julia's rules are about to get defenestrated (SAT
word: to be thrown from a window) when she's partnered with her personal
nemesis, class-clown Jason, on a school trip to London. After one wild
party, Julia starts receiving romantic texts . . . from an unknown
number! Jason promises to help discover the identity of her mysterious
new suitor if she agrees to break a few rules along the way. And thus
begins a wild goose chase through London, leading Julia closer and
closer to the biggest surprise of all: true love.
Because sometimes the things you least expect are the most meant to be.

My Thoughts:

Meant To Be is a story about a girl named Julia Lichtenstein who's on her school trip in London and to her absolute horror gets buddy-up with the most obnoxious guy in her class, Jason Lippincott. After Jason plays the 'be responsible and stick to your buddy' card, Julia agrees to go to a local party. To many drinks later and a hangover from hell, Julia starts getting romantic texts and Jason makes a little deal to help her out if she helps him out in return. Soon enough these two unlikely friends find themselves on a fun-filled adventure around the streets of London to find Julia's mystery text guy, but Julia wasn't prepared for what she found in the end.What was meant to be.Aww, this was such a cute and witty story about falling for flawed and being better for it.Julia and Jason have such a unique and enthusiastic voice that makes you hang on ever word. I really loved both these characters. Julia is an uptight little thing, a 'book licker' and always follows the rules and has romantic sentimental ideas of what love is suppose to be. It wasn't always easy to like her attitude and most of the time she needed to just unclench, but I liked her take-risk attitude. Jason is the kind of guy I'd love to be friends with. He has a very infectious personality. Likes to have fun but knows his boundaries. He's spontaneous and fun and while he doesn't always do or say the right thing, he has a really good heart. I really enjoyed the writing. Loved the dialog. Lauren Morrill captures a realistic portrayal of two teenagers who are totally opposite of each other but challenge one another every step of the way. I also love reading all about London. The art and museums and the history and culture but I also loved discovering the hidden gems that Jason showed Julia. It was gorgeously conveyed in this book. The ending was simply perfect. So sweet and sincere with a great twist I never saw coming. All in all, I really enjoyed this book. It's a lighthearted, fun and an adorable read that makes you believe that- soul mates, fate, destiny, the one, meant to be- anything is possible when it comes to love. It's unpredictable and messy and worth falling for.Find the author:Goodreads / Website 4 Snowflakes

There’s
a creepy new terror haunting modern-day London. Fresh from defeating a
Jack the Ripper killer, Rory must put her new-found hunting skills to
the test before all hell breaks loose…

But enemies are not always who you expect them to be and crazy times call for crazy solutions. A thrilling teen mystery.

My Thoughts:

After reading The Name of the Star I was really eager to get my hands on the sequel, The Madness Underneath unfortunately it didn't live up to my expectations. It was fun and exciting to a point but I had envisioned something a little more in depth and more ghost based and it was lacking in those areas for me.

This sequel takes off pretty much where The Name of the Star ended. Rory has just extinguished Jack and is now living with her parents trying to overcome her fears. She has been seeing a therapist and with her therapists approval Rory gets to final move back to her dorm and attend regular classes. The story from here gets a little strange and kinda all over the place. The beginning sub plot was creepy and just what I would expect from Johnson, but it is concluded way to fast and just left by the wayside. I think if the author would have kept with the whole asylum plot the story would have been fantastic, but to quickly we are thrown into a somewhat boring plot about Rory not keeping up with her classes and her trying to find her place among the ghost hunters. The story really takes a turn when Rory goes to see Jane, a therapist that Charlotte, her nemesis, is seeing for free. I didn't quite understand the whole idea behind Jane and her plans, they seemed just strange and well I just didn't buy it completely. In the end things go down not the way I wanted them too and one of my favorite characters is thrown to the wolves. I can't believe this book ended the way it did and I have to give the author credit because if it had ended any other way I wouldn't have wanted to continue on with the story. As it is though I am craving the next one to see if what happened really happened.

So all in all an okay sequel, I think it just falls into that weird second book in a series category that most unfortunately fall into. It needed more creepy for me, but I have hope that the next book will totally bring it back to the ripperesque quality of the first one.

Saturday, November 24, 2012

A weekly meme hosted by, Tynga's Reviews, that features the books we bought, borrowed, were gifted, and were given for review.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! It was definitely fun in my house and I ate way too much turkey and pumpkin pie lol! I am very excited that the holidays are just around the corner. Bloggers for those of you who signed up for our first Sleigh Tour emails will go out tomorrow with the rest of the details. A few of our giveaways have been updated so make sure to read carefully =) There is still time if you would like to sign up. Check out our Sleigh Tour page for more details!

Okay now for our weekly recap! Even with the Thanksgiving holiday we still manage to have some fun this week, check it out...

And now for our weekly book grabs! So excited for the ones we receive this week! Take a look..

For Review:

Mila 2.0 by Debra Driza

Revolution 19 by Gregg Rosenblum

Bought:

City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare

The Vincent Boys by Abbi Glines

*Special thanks to Harper Teen, Katherine Tegen Books, & Edelweiss*

I am so excited to start Mila 2.0! It has been on my tbr for awhile now and it is now at the top of my pile for next week! I hope everyone had a wonderful week as well! Leave me link so I can see all your pretties =)

Friday, November 23, 2012

We are so excited to have Paige back on the blog today! It was a real treat having her on for Halloween during her Commencement tour, which by the way is free right now on several online books site. I put a list at the bottom of the post so you can grab it!! So for the Hellsbane blog tour we thought we would keep with the holiday theme and we asked Paige...

"Which 5 fictional characters are the most thankful for? By the way hottness is definitely an okay reason to be thankful =P"

Emma Jane Hellsbane knows something evil is worming its way through her college campus—she can feel it. Literally. Her freakish ability to feel other people’s emotions as though they were her own has always been monumentally awkward, and it’s easier for her to just pretend it doesn’t exist. But this time her paranormal ability just might help her save lives.

Emma Jane’s fairly certain that whatever the hateful, egomaniacal, Godlike thing is, it’s set up shop inside her boyfriend, the frat boy/soccer star Justin. And if she doesn’t figure a way to get it out of him soon, Justin’s soul will be the appetizer to the main course—the whole student body. Problem is, the big baddy is granting sinister wishes, and with each one the risks grow higher and the phrase Be careful what you wish for becomes a real-life dire warning. Of course for Emma, what feels like it could be the end is in fact just the beginning…

Twenty-three-year-old Emma Jane Hellsbane just found out she’s not human—or, at least, not only human. She’s half angel, too, and now Heaven’s got a job for her: round up all the Fallen angels and their red-skinned, horned devil-demon minions and boot their butts back into the abyss. Only problem? The demons and their Fallen masters fight back and they don’t fight fair.

Luckily for Emma, she can put a stop to the constant threat of having her head hacked off if she figures out which Fallen angel is her father—and then kill him before he kills her. Of course, in the meantime, she’ll have to avoid accidentally seducing her angelic mentor, help an old friend conquer his own Fallen sperm donor, and basically save the world from a cataclysmic divine smack down.

No one said being Heaven’s bounty hunter would be easy. But with a name like Hellsbane, Emma Jane was born for the job.

About the Author: Writing was never a foregone conclusion for me. I once had dreams of being a psychologist, a pediatrician, a school
teacher, a photojournalist, a bartender, and/or an EMT. And then I met my husband and my world came into
focus. Being wife and mother are my highest priorities and greatest joy. But escaping to the fanciful, sexy worlds
twirling through my mind is an absolute necessity. Putting those worlds, and the cornucopia of characters that people them, on paper is just plain fun.
Paige lives in Ohio, with her husband, three daughters, three dogs, three cats, a parakeet and a bearded dragon named Rexy, in an ever shrinking house. When she’s not writing she can be found doing the mom thing with a
book in one hand and a notepad and pen in the other. Ideas come without warning and the best way to stimulate your imagination is to enjoy the imagination of someone else.Find Paige:Website / Blog / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads

And the wonderful Entangled is hosting an AMAZING giveaway! Take a look at what you can win...

Thursday, November 22, 2012

I absolutely love this time of year and this year is extra special to me for a lot of reasons. One of those being that I have the best blog roomies in the world. I don't know what I would do without them and their support. Thanks girls for just well being so awesome =)

I am also thankful for my family and friends. They are my life and keep me sane lol. I have a great group of reading buddies
that share my passion for books. This year has been an amazing and
bountiful year of great reading connections and awesome books. I have enjoyed getting to know so many new people and I hope that continues.

I really hope everyone has a wonderful holiday and gets to enjoy their day. It has been wonderful getting to know each and every one of you and I can't wait to see what happens this next year!

And for those of you braving the Friday of extreme shopping please be careful!

Jude has learned a lot from her older sisters, but the most important thing is this: The Vargas brothers are notorious heartbreakers. She’s seen the tears and disasters that dating a Vargas boy can cause, and she swore an oath — with candles and a contract and everything — to never have anything to do with one.

Now Jude is the only sister still living at home, and she’s spending the summer helping her ailing father restore his vintage motorcycle. No one wants to end up with a toaster on wheels, so they hire a mechanic to help out. Is it Jude’s fault he happens to be cute? And surprisingly sweet? And a Vargas?

Jude tells herself it’s strictly bike business with Emilio. Her sisters will never find out, and Jude can spot those flirty little Vargas tricks a mile away — no way would she fall for them. But old warnings fade fast, because Emilio turns out to be the first guy in forever she likes. Really likes. Jude’s defenses are crumbling, and if history is destined to repeat itself, she’s speeding toward some serious heartbreak…

But what if her sisters were wrong?

Jude may have taken an oath, but she’s beginning to think that when it comes to love, some promises might be worth breaking.

Sarah Ockler proved her worth to me in Twenty Boy Summer when I came to experience how seamlessly I tend to fall for her characters and writing. And since then, I hold Ockler in the same regard as I do my other YA contemporary favorites such as Sarah Dessen, Jandy Nelson and Tricia Mills. They all seem to have that magical spell of creating a perfect plot with likable characters I don't easily forget. I'm definitely looking forward to getting my hands on her upcoming novel The Book of Broken Hearts as I'm eager to meet her newest cast.

Hey everyone!! We have right here the book trailer for Opal!! This book is definitely one of our most anticipated of the year and this trailer is just insane!! They just keep getting better and better! Okay no more talking take a look!!

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB ofShould Be Reading.Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read• Open to a random page• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Revolution 19 by Rosenblum

Publisher: Harper Teen
Expected Pub Date: January 8, 2013

My Teasers:

Page: 8 & 9

"I hope you get stuck cleaning flock drop for a month."

"You were staring at your stomach like a monkey that had just discovered its belly button."

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own Teaser Tuesdays post, or share your ‘teasers’ in a comment here if you don’t have a blog Thanks!

When Christian Rusch
plucks Beck Ionesco from the freshman ranks for himself, she’s tempted
with parties, popularity, and love. But as the free-flowing booze that
soaks his world seeps into her own, Beck begins using liquid courage as a
way to ignore Christian’s dark moods… and cover her anxiety about his
flirtatious friend Hillman.

However, when Christian breaks up
with Beck, and Hillman makes a dangerous move, no amount of alcohol can
stop the pain or keep her out of trouble. And just when it seems like
she’s lost everything, Beck is partnered with Jesse Leary for an art
project. After spending time with him, Beck realizes it’s more than a
study date… and Christian’s not happy about it. Then again, Beck’s not
sure she’s happy with him, either.

But only after plowing through
a bottle of wine, a wild fight, and one guardrail that becomes
Christian’s last call, does Beck admit to her problem and ask for help
from the one whose life secretly parallels her own.

My thoughts:
I cannot express how mad I am after reading this book. When I read I usually go through so many emotions but with Swell I had one emotion and that was furry! Julie Rieman Duck has written a book that I will not easily forget and I just hope that parents who read this will understand what not to do.

Swell is so much more than just a story. It felt like a real life recount of what can happen if a fifteen year old is left with no help and absent parents. Beck is not the popular girl and she is definitely not someone who would normally date the most popular guy in school, but after a toga dance at her school Christian the "it" guy singles her out and thus begins her spiral downward. See Christian has drinking problems and it is not enough that Back has to endure his behavior, no she has to drink with him. By with him, I mean she has to keep up with him drink for drink. Beck believes that she has to drink to keep Christian happy and that they have a bond since they both drink now. What becomes clear early on is Beck has a serious problem. She is quite simply put an alcoholic in denial. She begs people to buy for her, she steals from her parents liquor cabinet, and when she has to money she trades "favors" for alcohol. Yes that is exactly what I mean. To pair with this growing problem, Christian breaks up with her because of his "best friend" who wants Beck. What happens next is just creepy and disturbing on so many levels. The story takes a horrible turn and Beck finally sees the light and decides enough is enough. This is after so many abusive situations that I have to wonder why she didn't see the light earlier.

I am beyond baffled at how her parents didn't see what was going on. They were there in the same house with her the entire time and didn't blink an eye. Even after she is caught drinking hr parents ground her and then her mom notices she is sneaking out at night and does nothing to stop it! They love Christian and think nothing could ever happen to their little girl with him. This is where I think they should have taken a more active role in their daughters life. They should have gotten to know Christian way more than they did and I mean Beck was fifteen! Why weren't they more involved?? I am not happy that Beck went through so much at such an early age. Even her friends did nothing to stop her. Her best friend just stopped hanging out with her and Jessie her art partner just told her he didn't like drinking and left it at that. Nobody helped her! I could see Beck screaming for help and it really ticks me off that she was alone.

This book was very difficult to get through. It was sad, heartbreaking, irritating, and just all out maddening. I really hope that if this was a true story Beck got the help she deserved and is now recovered.

3 Snowflakes

About the Author: Born in Los Angeles and raised in San Clemente, California, Julie Rieman Duck wrote her way through school on an old-fashioned typewriter. Somewhere along the line, she was sidetracked by careers in magazine publishing and copywriting. While Julie honed her skills at writing print ads and articles, the stories that moved her heart and soul were bubbling underneath, waiting to escape.

It took a medical scare and the loss of her job — on the same day and within 30 minutes of each other — to finally allow her stories to free themselves and be put to paper.

Julie looks forward to writing more stories that hit where the heart beats fastest, and the soul reaches out for more.Find Julie:Website / Blog / Goodreads

Wait there is more! We are so happy to help spread the word about this awesome giveaway!

Giveaway:
This is a tour wide giveaway and ends 12/18/12.
One person will win:
(Open to US only)
Paperback of Swell by Julie Rieman Duck
Paperback of A Place in This Life by Julie Rieman Duck

One other winner will win:
(Open Worldwide)
1 ebook of Swell by Julie Rieman Duck
1 ebook of A Place in This Life by Julie Rieman Duck
1 ebook of The Joy and Torture of Joshua James
1 ebook of Earrings of Ixtumea by Kim Baccellia
1 ebook of Cornerstone by Misty Provencher
1 ebook (kindle) of There Comes a Prophet by David Litwack